Liver branding



Dec. 23, 1952 C. A. RINEHART ET AL LIVER BRANDING Filed Oct. 12, 1949 I INVENTORS Cleo A. Rinehart and Raymond 0- Martens ATYUE Y Patented Dec. 23, 1952 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE LIVER BRANDING (lleo A. Rinehart and Raymond Mertens, Chicago, Ill., assignors to Swift & Company, Chicago, Ill., a corporation of Illinois Application October 12, 1949, Serial No. 120,964

1 Claim. 1

This invention relates to a method for branding livers and, more particularly, to a method for branding livers, such as veal, calf, beef, lamb, and pork livers.

Liver has long been recognized as a valuable meat product and has found wide-spread acceptance as a nutritional addition to the tables of consumers. It is exceptionally high in protein, carbohydrate, and vitaminl content and hence has been recommended by many physicians to supplement diets. Throughout this long and wide-spread usage of liver one outstanding difference from the standpoint of the packer or wholesaler has been evident. In contrast to hams and other meat cuts, liver has not been identified in any manner by having branded thereon permanent indicia indicating the producers brand or name. This is a disadvantage in that liver from one source may be intermingled with that from another and sold under any brand or trade name with subsequent damage to the owner of such brand or trade name should some of the liver be in poor condition. Such failure to provide branded indicia has primarily been due to the type of surface presented by fresh livers. Liver, in general consists of an outer peritoneum membrane or fibroelastic sheath called the tunica serosa; an underlying, thin, delicate, fibrous tissue known as capsula fibrosa; and, finally, protected by these outer layers, the tissue proper composed of lobules separated by small amounts of connective tissue. The two superficial layers, tunica serosa and capsula fibrosa, are easily ruptured by the application of pressure, and the resulting bruise marks are unsightly and tend to make the liver unsalable. In addition, such rupturing will permit nutritive juices to escape from the liver tissues proper. Attempts to brand liver with hot irons have heretofore been found to produce illegible and unsatisfactory markings.

It is therefore an object of this invention to provide a method of branding livers whereby a distinct and identifiable mark is placed thereon.

It is an additional object of this invention to provide a method for branding livers with a hot iron whereby a legible marking is produced thereon.

Additional objects, if not specifically set forth herein, will be apparent to one skilled in the art from th following detailed description of the invention.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 illustrates a section of liver bearing indicia applied thereto by the method of this invention.

Figure 2 represents one form of branding iron which may be used to carry out the method of this invention.

This invention generally comprises placing an identifiable brand on livers by use of a controlled-temperature branding iron.

More specifically, the present invention comprises placing a brand on livers with a controlled-temperature, roller-type branding iron, such as is illustrated in Figure 2. This iron may be of any suitable construction. As illustrated, l represents the branding wheel or roller bearing suitable indicia 2 upon the outer periphery thereof. The wheel rotates upon an electrically heated shaft 3 mounted in frame 4 having a handle 1 attached thereto. 5 represents the control means for a temperature-control unit which may be of any suitable type, thermostatically or otherwise regulated. An electrical lead 6 serves to connect the unit to a wall plug or the like. In operation, the branding wheel I, which is made of suitable heat conducting material, is heated to the desired temperature and maintained at such temperature by means of control unit 5. The proper temperature range of the branding operation is important. It has been found that a roller iron of the type shown or of any other suitable type, when heated to a temperature between about 450 F. and 600 F. and rolled over the surface of liver, will produce on such surface a distinct and identifiable brand.

The temperature range of between about 450 F. and 600 F. has been found to be critical in producing a legible brand on animal livers. The optimum temperature of the iron is approximately 500-550 F., or about midway between the operable temperatures. Should a temperature below about 450 F. be used, it has been found impossible to produce a brand giving the desired or legible color contrast and, in addition, so much pressure must be applied to make a mark that the surface of the liver is ruptured, giving rise to an illegible brand which is both unpleasing to the consumer and also detrimental to the product. Likewise, at temperatures above about 600 F., burning and charring of the surface of the liver take place with resultant imperfect and distorted brands. Also, with these higher temperatures, the liver has a tendency to stick to the hot iron, making for difficult and unsatisfactory operation thereof. It has been found that about 600 F. is the highest temperature at which the roller can be moved over the surface of the liver and still produce a legible, desirable brand.

In carrying out the present invention, it is generally desirable that the heated surface of the iron be in contact with the liver for a very short interval, usually a fraction of a second. The pressure applied to the surface of the liver during the branding operation may vary to some extent, dependent upon the temperature to which the iron is heated. It has been found that pressures within the range of about 3 to 6 p. s. i. give good results for the operable branding temperatures of from 450 F. to 600 F. Higher pressures may so imbed the indicia that the surface of the iron itself contacts the liver, making for illegible brands as well as causing rupture of the outer peritoneum membrane. Lower pressures tend to cause the brand to be dull and of insufiicient contrast to afford legible identification, although in the case of temperatures within the upper range of operable temperatures, namely, around 600 F., lower pressures than 3 p. s. i. have been found to give legible results. The pressure and time given above are illustrative and may change as other factors vary, such as type of branding instrument, temperature, type of liver, etc.

The brand produced on livers by the method of this invention shows up as a gray to almost white replica of the indicia on the iron. This brand contrasts sharply with the bright red color of the fresh liver and will remain distinct and legible after the livers have been frozen for shipment and then thawed for sale to the consumer. The brand is an actual searing of the tunica serosa layer, with some indentations visible in the capsula fibrosa layer.

The method of branding livers as set forth herein overcomes the difficulties of the prior art and enables the producer or packer to suitably mark veal, calf, beef, pork, or lamb livers with his trade or brand name, thereby insuring protection to the consumer from inferior or secondrate substitutions.

Obviously, many modifications and variations of the invention as hereinbefore set forth may be made without departing from the spirit and scope thereof, and therefore only such limitations should be imposed as are indicated in the appended claim.

We claim:

The method of brandin an animal liver which comprises: heating an indicia-bearing surface to a temperature within the range of from about 450 F. to about 600 F.; contacting the surface of an animal liver with said heated indicia; maintaining said contact of said indicia with the surface of the liver for a fraction of a second only; and during said contact of said indicia with the liver applying a pressure to the surface of the liver of from 3 to 6 pounds per square inch whereby the tunica serosa layer of the liver is seared to produce a legible brand without rupture of said layer.

CLEO A. RINEHART. RAYMOND O. MERI'ENS.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,151,506 Ahlburg 1- Aug. 24, 1915 1,636,823 Keller July 26, 1927 1,855,475 Covey Apr. 26, 1932 1,928,067 Martoccio Sept. 26, 1933 2,060,576 Kauffman Nov. 10, 1936 2,202,109 Maurer May 28, 1940 2,558,354 Gottscho June 26, 1951 

